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Saturday, November 29, 2014

Antoine Vanner, author of the Dawlish Chronicles, kindly consented to be interviewed about the latest in the series, Britannia's Shark

J.D.: Nicholas Dawlish is a fascinating character in the classical mode, a
hero with a fatal flaw.Who or what was
your inspiration for such a complex person?

A.V.: There are a number of inspirations, all linked with the period
1845-1918, in which Dawlish lived. Several charismatic and influential British naval
officers were born in the same decade, Fisher, Scott, Beresford - and later
Jackson - among others. They joined a navy commanded by veterans of Nelson’s
day but they themselves shaped the navy that fought WW 1, having introduced new
technologies such as steam turbines, submarines, radio, torpedoes and even aircraft.

These men had very adventurous careers and managed a massive amount
of change. The closest character-inspiration
for Dawlish belongs however to the generation that followed him. Sir Walter
Cowan served on the Benin expedition in West Africa in the late 1880’s, captained
a battle-cruiser at Jutland in WW1 and commanded British forces in the Baltic
against the Bolsheviks in 1919. He then retired but came back into service in
WW2, training with the commandos in 1941 at the age of 70. In the North Africa campaign
he was to take on Italian tank crew singlehandedly when armed only with a
revolver. He was to be the oldest officer serving in combat WW2, just as
Dawlish was to have the same distinction in WW1 which, unlike Cowan, Dawlish
was not to survive!

Though of high moral character, all these men were driven by
ambition and demonstrated the necessary degree of ruthlessness which was
essential to achieve what they did. If this is a fault, then it is the one they
share with Dawlish!

J.D.: Leading on from this who is your favourite fictional hero (apart
from Nicholas Dawlish)?

A.V.: Since I first read Doctor
Zhivago 53 years ago I have always been impressed with the character of
Pasha Antipov, the schoolteacher from a
poor background who proves to have unexpected martial and leadership skills
when called to the colours in 1914. In the Russian Civil War he becomes “Strelnikov”, a military expert in
Bolshevik service. Though his story ends
in tragedy he has always seemed to me the embodiment of courage, conscience and
dignity in the most extreme circumstances.
He is faced with impossible moral choices but he confronts them head on
and does not shirk his destiny or ask for pity. As such he is the counterpoint
to the much weaker character of Zhivago himself and his death – prefigured in a
song sung by an old peasant woman earlier in the book – is of unbearable
poignancy. Strelnikov was played brilliantly
by Tom Courtenay in the movie and the memory of him thundering down the track
in his armoured train is unforgettable.

J.D.: The Dawlish Chronicles can be read as separate novels, as the
setting of each is so different. Because
the stories are historical the places where they take place no longer exist,
per se, but still do you feel a drive to explore them?

A.V.: My own career has brought me all over the world and I have lived
long term in 8 countries and undertook shorter assignments in a dozen
others. I have travelled in some 55
countries and this, combined with my enthusiasm for history, has afforded me
ample opportunities for getting the feel for the locations – and, more
importantly, cultures – in which my stories are set. A good example is my novel Britannia’s Wolf which, though set in
Ottoman Turkey in the 1870’s, reflects my own knowledge of Turkey and my
experience of having lived and worked there for three years. The search for new and challenging locations
never stops and indeed I am dictating this answer on a visit to Sarawak,
Northern Borneo. Who knows whether I may
find that Nicolas Dawlish himself might have encountered adventures here? Only further research will answer that
question!

J.D.: Before your first Dawlish novel what else was written? Are there unpublished short stories or memoirs
lurking in a desk drawer?

A.V.: I wrote a fair amount over the years, including two novels, but
never of a quality that deserved to see the light of day even after revision
and re-writing. I was clear-eyed enough to recognise that! This material has,
however, proved very useful in affording me opportunities to learn through my
mistakes. Also, in the course of my business career I have had to produce, or
edit, or approve, reports, reviews and submissions to governments which had
major economic implications. This experience proved invaluable as regards fine-tuning
documents so that every word counted and all ambiguity excluded. Such
experience is invaluable.

I was inspired to start writing again – and this time with total
commitment – by encountering the naval novelist Douglas Reeman (who writes the Bolitho series as Alexander Kent) at a
book-signing session some years ago. I understood from him just how much
dedication and professionalism is required to research, write and complete a
novel. He was inspirational. The consequence was that I made the necessary time
and within 11 months of that meeting I had produced Britannia’s Wolf.

J.D.: What are your recommendations for historical research? How do you track down the little details that
make your settings so convincing?

A.V.: The most important advice is that you don’t try write about a period
you don’t already know a fair amount about. You need to understand the overall
historical context – political, social, religious, cultural, scientific,
technological and military. The
understanding of this background is something that one builds up over years – decades in my case. I continue to read very widely, normally
up to sixty books a year, mostly non-fiction, and maybe 25% of these are
related to the 19th Century. Reading contemporary memories is invaluable,
especially as regards values and attitudes.

Within this wider context one must create a plot that links credibly
to the realities of the period and to populate it with characters who are of
that time, not 21st century people in re-enactors’ costumes. That
plot will demand more detailed research on aspects directly relevant to it –
sometimes entire books, other times information from the internet. Google is
invaluable, and often surprising in this regard. Information coming from this type of research
may often demand restructuring of the plot. Very specific details such as “In what year was Singapore linked to the
outside world by telegraphic cable?” can be easily accessed on the internet
only if and when needed. However, one has got to be careful not to go
overboard. Judging when “Enough is Enough” is the key to
effective research.

J.D.: Outside of writing and researching, what do you really like to do?

A.V.: I have a very active parallel life and, although retired from my
business and academic careers, I play a role as an elected local councillor and
as such am active in my community. My lovely wife’s horses and our dog are
great sources of pleasure and I continue to enjoy travelling widely. My
enthusiasm for history and literature remains unabated. Long may it continue!

Friday, November 28, 2014

ROBERT A SCHAEFER, jr, kindly agreed to "talk" to me about his residence in romantic Barcelona.

Robert

Your work has received
numerous international awards, most recent being a Bronze Medal in the
Professional Photographers of Architecture Division at the Moscow International
Foto Awards. You also have recent memories of an exciting artist's
residency, "Can Serrat," near the gorgeous port of Barcelona.
Thank you so much for agreeing to be interviewed about your experiences
there.

It
is I who thanks you, Joan, for inviting me to say a few words about my
incredible experience in Can Serrat. One of the main reasons I wanted to get
the residency program there was the close proximity Can Serrat has to
Barcelona. I had last been to Barcelona in 1974, way before it was
greatly overhauled and beautified for the 1992 Olympic Games. I was still
a student of Architecture in 1974 and wildly interested in the very unusual
architecture of Antoni Gaudí. Unlike the currently situation, it was not
so easy to get into some of these structures Gaudí designed and built, and I
even had to get written permission from the city government and take it with
me. Lucky for me, I spoke Spanish very well. So with all these
wonderful memories of Barcelona, I was very excited to get an artist residency
so close to Barcelona - there was a great bus connection with a stop just
outside Can Serrat, and in forty minutes I was in Barcelona photographing all
aspects of its architecture for my proposed project. Spanish cuisine -
especially from this region of Catalan is one of my favorites, and the meals at
Can Serrat were such a treat. They were lovingly prepared by the two directors
Marcel who is actually from the local village of El Bruc and Katrine who is
French and from Paris. I can still taste the Paella which was served on a
huge rectangular rock slab used for the communal table. It was outdoors
with a trellis of vines over it in which several of their cats loved to hang
out and keep us company while we were eating. These meals lasted for
hours as it was really the only time we came together as a group so there was a
lot of debriefing as to what I had experienced and photographed in Barcelona
that day or how someone’s painting was coming along.

First, could
you share your greatest moment? Perhaps a serendipitous meeting, or a
sudden glimpse of sunlight on an ethereal tower…

My studies are
in Architecture (BA of Architecture from Auburn University in Alabama my home
state and an MA of Architecture from the Technische Universität in Munich,
Germany so it will come as no surprise that my imagery in photography is very
influenced by Architecture. One of the great architects I studied was the
German - Ludwig Mies Van Der Rohe who was invited by Walter Gropius, head of
the new design school called the Bauhaus in Weimar, to teach there. It was
during this time - in 1929 that Mies Van Der Rohe won a design contest for a
pavilion to be erected at the 1929 World’s Fair in Barcelona. It was
built on the grounds of the World’s Fair and its modernity caused quite a
sensation. He also designed the furniture which included rather wide
lounging chairs known as the Barcelona Chair and still manufactured by Knoll
Furniture Company today. When the Fair ended in January of 1930 the
Catalan city government of Barcelona contacted the Germans in Berlin to ask
where the pavilion (it was entirely denotable) should be shipped.
Unfortunately, Adolph Hitler and the Nazis had come into power and the reposed
was to destroy this degenerate design as it was not wanted. This might have
been the end of the Barcelona Pavilion except that in 1986, the architects of
Catalan decided that the Barcelona Pavilion deserved a better fate, so they
gathered as many drawings that history provided, approximated dimensions and
rebuilt it on the very spot it had held during the Fair - on Montjuïc across
from Plaza España. Having researched Barcelona before flying there for my
residency, I knew that this incredible piece of architecture had been rebuilt,
and I found it on my very first day in Barcelona. When I stood in front
of it, I was in total awe of the incredible proportions it has. I was so
overwhelmed that tears streamed down my face while standing in front of
this icon of modern architecture. I spent hours inside it
experiencing its perfect dimensions and taking endless photographs for my
residency project.

There must have
been down times, perhaps even moments of panic. Any culture shock? Tell us
about it.

Actually,
the only negative aspect of the residency was that so many of the other artists
participating in it were from the US, Canada and Australia, so there were few
chances to improve my Spanish which was another reason I was interested in a
residency in Spain. Of course I spoke it with the directors and when I
went into Barcelona, but I had hoped to speak it constantly. Also,
although my Spanish is very good, my Catalan is zero - and sometime I would
encounter the inability of the locals to understand Castilian Spanish.

What
inspiration did you bring away with you? How did this exotic experience affect
your subsequent work?

Besides
my wonderful encounter with the Barcelona Pavilion, I also was quite inspired
by the work of Gaudí and in photographing his wonderful Park Güell overlooking
the city of Barcelona as well as the Sagrada Familia which is filled with the
incorporation of natural forms of plants and flowers into the architecture. I
recorded all of these architectural elements with my digital camera (Canon EOS)
in raw format and made digital negatives out of various selected images.
These I am printing with the Cyanotype Process (12” x 15.5”) to add to my
series of Architectural Blues Series. Also, I am working on a future
exhibition of many of the Barcelona images to be held in New York City.

If there was
one Spanish artist (dead or alive) you would have loved to find there, who was
it?

I
would love to spend days with Antoni Gaudí. I did make it to the city of
his birth - Reus where an incredible museum has been built to inform visitors
of his vision. Though I had seen many of his buildings before, I was
amazed to find out many things I did not know about him. He designed a
building for the city of New York though it was unfortunately never built.
Besides architecture, Gaudí also designed furniture and was very
innovative with structural design so that his parabolic arches not only added
grace and beauty to the interior of a structure like the Sagrada Familia, they
eliminated the need for flying buttresses, which are so incorporated int the
design of Gothic Cathedrals. Gaud also designed columns supporting the
outlook of Park Güell. They are hollow in their core so that when it
rains there, the water runs through drains in the ground of the outlook, into
the columns and is then collected in a sistern and used to irrigate the
beautifully landscaped grounds of the park when there is not enough rain.
I would like to hear his opinions on some of the current world
architecture. as well as suggestions to provide methods to capture rainwater
with aspects of the architecture and then use it for
irrigation - especially in large cities like New York or those with water
shortages such as Yemen and Perth.

A research project into the
childhood and early life of Katherine Mansfield has won the 2015 Friends of the
Turnbull Library (FoTL) Research Grant of $10,000.

Dr Gerri Kimber, a leading United
Kingdom authority on Katherine Mansfield, has been working on a new biography
of Katherine Mansfield’s early years and has already located previously
unpublished material relating to her first 19 years in New Zealand. Dr Kimber
will use the FoTL Research Grant to explore the collections of Wellington’s
Alexander Turnbull Library, which is renowned for its substantial archives
concerning Mansfield. This material includes the recently acquired literary and
personal papers from the estate of John Middleton Murry, Mansfield’s husband.

Dr Kimber expects to complete the
biography in 2015, and the book is to be published by the Edinburgh University
Press.

‘Gerri Kimber’s work will shed
new light on Mansfield’s early life and the significant influence of her New
Zealand childhood on her writing.’ said Rachel
Underwood, President of the Friends of the Turnbull Library. ‘This research
project will enrich our understanding of KM and reinforce the immense value of
the archives of the Turnbull Library.’

The Friends of the Turnbull
Library used two generous bequests to establish this Research Grant, which
supports the distinctive contribution that a research and heritage library
makes to public knowledge. It celebrates the significant role of ongoing
research and publication based on the Alexander Turnbull Library collections
and the knowledge of the staff.

The Friends’ Research Grant
attracts a large number of applicants each year. Previous grants have been
awarded to Philip Norman for his biography of Douglas Lilburn; Tim Beaglehole
for his biography of historian JC Beaglehole; Alex Bremner for his study of
colonial Anglican architecture; Paul Diamond for his photo-biography of
Makareti (Maggie Papakura); Jennifer Shennan for her biography of dancer Poul
Gnatt; Paul Meredith to research a book based on the journey to England of the
Māori King Te Rata in 1914; to Philip Simpson for his book, Totara: Te Mahi a Rauru; to Charlotte
Williams for a history of relations between Māori and the National Party
1936-1996; to Doug Munro for a
history of the NZ Opera Company 1954-1971; and to Lucy Treep for a biography of
writer, Maurice Shadbolt.

Thursday, November 27, 2014

Kiwi writers are producing more work than ever before, in defiance of dire warnings about the future of the book-publishing industry.

That is the message from literature researcher Lydia Wevers, who was awarded a Royal Society of New Zealand medal last night for her career-long promotion of the study of literature, history and culture.

"In the world of New Zealand fiction writing, there's just a lot more of it than there used to be," said Wevers, a professor at Victoria University. "That's partly due to writing courses. Lots of people come and do MAs and PhDs and produce novels and other things. I think there's a much more energetic culture of writing."

Wevers said another boon for the writing scene was Eleanor Catton's Man Booker Prize win last year.

"Every time we win the Booker Prize - all two times we've won it - it really gives us an international profile and it means that people are more likely to have a crack at reading something from New Zealand. That's been fantastic."

Her fascination with literature is that it offers a rare glimpse into the inner minds of Kiwi societies, both now and in the past.

Her nomination alone, as well as the win, was a delight, she said. "I was sort of thrilled and gobsmacked."

Monday, November 24, 2014

Years ago, when I was researching the "Women of War" chapter for Hen Frigates, I came across a sea-surgeon's journal that had been published in three volumes, apparently ably edited by Ernest Gray, and containing what looked like gold. Not only did it cover a little documented period of surgery at sea, the Seven Years War, but it was remarkably racy reading.

Intrigued, I wrote to the archivist at the Apothecaries' College, asking for details of the surgeon's training, to receive a brief reply saying there was no record of the man.

But that was impossible, I protested. The details were clear. His examining board had been appointed from the College of Surgeons, and included a Mr Sainthill, a member of the Old Surgeons' Corporation. Accordingly his reports should have been deposited in the library of Surgeons' Hall.

Sorry, no, the archivist repeated.

Alarm bells were ringing. Some of the battle and ship details were out of place. People (including Dr Sam Johnson) were described in unlikely places. So I appealed to the wise members of marhst-l, a discussion group devoted to maritime history, and got the usual lively responses, including many comments from Dr Martin Evans, who was -- to say the least -- intrigued.

More and more details were pointed out as wrong. Anachronisms abounded. Whether Dr Knyveton ever existed was extremely doubtful. Correspondence with an extremely helpful deputy librarian at the Royal College of Surgeons, Tina Craig, then made it plain that Mr. Gray, Knyveton's "editor," had perpetrated a very successful hoax on the world, by adapting a real memoir of a real surgeon without citation. At this stage my editor and I panicked a little, the book being in production, but we fixed it by putting quotes about the surgeon's name, and adding the following footnote:

While this journal is fictional, the social details are well founded, the book being based on a "Memoir of my own Life, written in 1779," by Thomas Denman, M.D. (1733-1815), and which was published as an introduction in the seventh edition (London, 1832) of his textbook of obstetrics, Introduction to Midwifery.
I was very lucky to have avoided an embarrassing blunder. Others, however, have kept on quoting from, and citing, the "journal" kept by "Knyveton" in the belief that the diary was real. So, forthwith, Martin Evans has pursued his quest and his quarry, and this month the International Journal of Maritime History, has published the paper he has co-authored with Geoffrey Hooper. And so the hoax is (hopefully) exposed to all.

Here is the abstract.

Three misleading diaries: John Knyveton MD – from naval surgeon’s mate to man-midwife

Abstract

This article re-examines three books published between 1937 and 1946: Diary of a Surgeon, Surgeon’s Mate and Man Midwife. They purported to have been edited and annotated by Ernest A. Gray from an old journal written by a John Knyveton (1729–1809) who had served as a surgeon’s mate in the Royal Navy between 1752 and 1762, after a short training in surgery in a London hospital. The books had been criticised and their authenticity doubted. Now additional errors have been revealed, making it certain that the books are essentially fictional and written in the twentieth century. Although drawing inspiration from a biography of the eighteenth century Dr Thomas Denman (1733–1815), and very readable, the stories are marred by errors, altered dates and events taken from other periods of time. These books have been cited by many writers and researchers who mistakenly believed them to be eighteenth century sources. We hope that this article will make their unreliability and fictitious content more widely known.

Wellington airport has just regained the great eagle that fell down in a (relatively) minor earthquake.

And has gained Smaug the dragon, too.

Now, it appears that Wellington International Airport (WLG) could get very crowded, as yet another dragon is about to feature in the city.

PETE'S DRAGON

Walt Disney studios has confirmed that it would start shooting a big-budget remake of the classic musical "Pete's Dragon" (but without music) in New Zealand early next year.

The base will be Sir Peter Jackson's Stone Street Studios in Miramar, on the scenic peninsula in the city south. Filming will be all over the country, including Canterbury (hopefully without earthquakes), and the Bay of Plenty.

In the corridors of power in Wellington much delight is being expressed. With the final "Hobbit" about to be released, it looked as if there was going to be a pause on the headlong rush to make Wellington the film capital of the world. As the mayor memorably uttered, it will fill a gap in the roller-coaster.

Thursday, November 20, 2014

In 1902 the ship Ventnor set out for China with the bones of 499 Chinese men who had died in New Zealand. The men were being returned home to the care of their families and ancestral villages. Most were old goldminers from the Otago / Greymouth area who had not been able to make enough money for their return passage home.

Under the auspices of a charitable association, the Cheong Sing Tong, community members pooled their money so that the remains of their countrymen could be returned home.

Tragically the men never made it. The Ventnor hit a rock off the Taranaki coast and eventually sank off the Hokianga Heads (pictured). This was a great catastrophe for the community, as it was believed the men’s spirits would not be at ease. Far from family and in a watery grave, there would be no-one to tend to their needs in the afterlife.

As soon as it got news of the sinking, the Cheong Sing Tong hired the steamer ‘Energy’ from Auckland to try and locate the wreck and possibly recover as many of the coffins as possible. This was not successful. Then it was found that some of the bones had washed up and were buried by local Maori iwi who lived along the coastline, leading to the chance to locate the burial sites and hold religious ceremonies.

Wednesday, November 19, 2014

What started as a protest against the Wellington inner-city bypass has turned into an international publishing business for two capital ex-pats.

Taipei-based editors Ron and Mark Hanson have been commissioned to produce a special bilingual magazine showcasing left-field Kiwi arts, music and history at the Taipei International Book Exhibition, one of the largest book fairs in Asia.

New Zealand is the guest of honour at next year's exhibition and three of our best and brightest artists will be featured in the Hansons' special edition of Subconscious Restaurant and will visit Taiwan for the event.

While the magazine, and sister publication White Fungus, can now boast sales everywhere from Wellington's Adam Art Gallery to London's Tate Modern, the brothers found themselves in the editing game almost by accident.

Their impetus to start White Fungus in 2003 was in protest at Wellington's inner-city bypass, which was to displace much of the artists' district of upper Cuba St.

The pair wanted to get the word out about the importance of the area, Ron said.

"We wanted to write about the history of Cuba St - everyone seemed to be forgetting," he said.

"I profiled a lot of the artists that were being kicked out of their studios, including Taika Waititi, Bret McKenzie, Plan 9 who did The Lord of the Rings soundtrack."

Ron admits the first edition of 400 copies was a bit of a rush job.

"The first issue was made on a photocopier . . . We just threw ourselves in and learnt on the job." Over the 12 later editions, White Fungus has morphed from its protest roots into an international arts, culture and political showcase.

Ron hoped the book fair publication would help to teach the wider world a little bit more about Kiwi culture. One article would focus on the country's DIY approach to music production over the years.

There was a lot of interest in New Zealand's "oddball talents", Ron said. He saw it as perfect timing to introduce these to the Taipei literary and culture world.

Tuesday, November 18, 2014

News from GalleyCat @ mediabistro.comIn my own honest opinion, Sean Bean touched the pinnacle of his career in his energetic and attractive depiction of Richard Sharpe, Napoleonic era soldier, in the adaptation of Bernard Cornwell's series of adventures. That was a great show, and certainly not shadowed by his role in the first Lord of the Ringsmovie.

He has become more prominently featured on the small screen, however, with "The Game of Thrones." And now we are to see more of them than ever ....Sean Bean, an actor who has appeared in multiple book adaptations such asLord of the Rings: The Fellowship of The Ring movie and the Game of Thrones HBO series, will star in a new six-part crime show calledThe Frankenstein Chronicles.

Bean (pictured, via) will play the main protagonist, Inspector John Marlott. Production is set to take place in Northern Ireland starting in January. The story was inspired by Mary Shelley’sFrankenstein. Follow this link to download a free digital copy of the book.

Here’s more from Deadline: “Set in 1827 London, the drama begins when Home Secretary Sir Robert Peel recruits Marlott after a successful operation by Thames River Police to apprehend a gang of opium smugglers. As Marlott stands on the water’s edge contemplating the arrests, he makes a shocking discovery: A corpse washed up on the shore is not what it seems at first glance. Instead, it’s a crude assembly of body parts arranged in a grotesque parody of a human form. The mutilated child-like body leaves an indelible impression on Marlott who is tasked by Peel with tracking the perpetrator of this heinous crime.”

Saturday, November 15, 2014

As the Director of the Gallery of Modern Art, Queensland Art Gallery, says, Tracey Moffatt is arguably the most prominent Australian artist exhibiting in Australia and around the world today. The work of this beautiful and vivacious Australian visual artist is held in major repositories -- including the Guggenheim -- and featured in major exhibits.

Accordingly, I was overwhelmed to be suddenly accosted, first by a barrage of emails and then with phone calls, by this hugely enthusiastic and talented artist, who asked me for a brief interview for her planned TV show, ART CALLS. Two minutes, she said . . . and somehow it extended into an hour.

A thoroughly enjoyable hour, I might add. You can watch the pilot of the show HERE. It gives a good idea of what it is going to be like -- Tracey calls artists and writers all over the world, talking to some, Skyping some, and the result is edited into a show that is not just highly entertaining but also does something rare and wonderful -- it promotes artists and the arts.

Then I had the pleasure of meeting Tracey herself in Sydney. She drove us around her cherished part of that beautiful and vibrant city, and walked us to a special place, an ancient Aboriginal petrograph of a whale. (I blogged about it HERE.) We lunched, we talked, we walked, and we laughed. Great memories were all I expected when we flew home, but no, Tracey always manages the wonderfully unexpected. A book arrived, featuring Tracey's latest body of work, "Spirit Landscapes."

"Spirit Landscapes," currently on display at the Queensland Art Galley, Gallery of Modern Art, comprises five photographic series in which the artist explores human relationships. Typical is this amazing study of a woman with a baby. Being a writer, I love an image that tells a story, and this one certainly does that.

Tracey tells me it is one of the "Up in the Sky" photo series, which is exhibited internationally.

The rest of the works are just as evocative. If you are in Brisbane in the next few weeks, don't miss a visit to the Gallery of Modern Art.

Wednesday, November 12, 2014

Self-publishing has revealed a market that trad publishers were not aware of, says Orna Ross, of the Alliance of Independent Authors.

"Readers want very different things to what publishers in London and Manhattan think readers want," she elaborated.

Speaking at an event debating the best route to publishing for authors, Ross said self-publishing, a term she said she was “not wild about”, meant there was more choice for readers, including books that would never have been picked up by a traditional publishing house.

“I think the old [publishing] model is in flux and needs to change,” Ross said. “I think what’s happening is overall very positive. It’s good for readers because they have more choice and more access.”

Joining Ross on the panel on Monday night (10th November) were Suzie Doore, editorial director at Hodder & Stoughton, literary agent Juliet Mushens from The Agency Group, and author Dominic Selwood, who has been traditionally published and has self-published.Hit the link and read on to see what the agents and trad publisher had to say. In my view they sounded slightly desperate. And here are the hybrid author's thoughts --

Selwood said both traditional publishing and self-publishing were “successful models but are different businesses”. Traditional publishing was about a number of things including building a brand, and at its centre was risk and reward, he said. On self-publishing, he said: “On the other hand you have the ability as an individual to hold the levers of power and decide your own creativity if the only limit.”Well, that certainly sums it up!

The debate was organised by Byte the Book and held at The Club at the Ivy yesterday (10th November)

Monday, November 10, 2014

She was the person who instigated the Sir John Franklin-led search for the Northwest Passage in 1844. The authorities weren't happy when she pushed her husband's eligibility: Sir John was too fat and too old -- in his sixtieth year -- but that made no difference to her plans.

She prevailed. The Navy organized the most ambition Arctic expedition to date, outfitting the 372-ton Erebus and the 325-ton Terror, and they put Sir John in charge of it, Sir Edward Parry writing to the Admiralty, "If you don't let him go, the man will die of disappointment."

They sailed on May 19, 1845, and Sir John certainly did die, taking all hands with him. When exactly the demise took place is hard to tell, as it took two years before anyone got worried. And, of course, it was Jane who felt the first concern -- and did something about it, starting up a lobby for a rescue mission. By March 1848 she had a huge and popular following, and not only had the Admiralty caved in, offering a huge reward, but the challenge had met an enthusiastic response. Ships set off, and most returned, and it all involved an awful lot of money.

The most successful was one of my heroes, John Rae (a terrific book about him is Ken McGoogan's Fatal Passage), who at the end of the year 1854 arrived in London with some strange articles -- crested spoons, one of sir John's medals -- that Unuit had sold him, saying that at the same time they told him even stranger stories, about white men staggering about and starving. The Admiralty listened, gave Rae the ten thousand pound reward, and declared Franklin dead, and the matter closed.

Jane did not believe them. Instead, she hit the roof, and kept on lobbying. And so the searches continued .... but it took almost exactly another 160 years before even one of the ships was found.

And now, courtesy of the Globe and Mail, we know what ship it was. It was the flagship. The 372-ton Erebus.

By huge coincidence, though I thought I had read everything by the immortal Saki (Hector Hugh Munro), I found a new story in a collection I am reading right now, called Stories of the Sea, an Everyman Pocket Classic. The story is called "The Treasure-Ship," and is a perfect example of Saki's needle-like depictions of the same kind of upper-class greed, maliciousness, snobbery and mannered social manipulation that are so popularly represented today in the series "Downtown Abbey."Others are Ray Bradbury's deathless and always chilling, "The Fog Horn," Doris Lessing's nailbiting "Through the Tunnel," a strange story by John Updike called "The Cruise," a redemption story from Kurl Vonnegut called "The Cruise of the Jolly Roger," and Stephen Crane's classic, "The Open Boat."

Other writers in the collection are Jack London, Joseph Conrad, Herman Melville ("John Marr" -- which is odd, as if I had been the editor, I would have definitely chosen "Benito Cerano"), J.G. Ballard and Mark Helprin.Quality stuff.I look forward to the next few entries from my readers.